D-allose and D-psicose reinforce the action of metronidazole on trichomonad.

The effects of D-allose and D-psicose on Tritrichomonas foetus were examined. They were cultured in F-bouillon medium including glucose, but had never increased when glucose was substituted to those sugars. When cultured in a medium including a dose of ED(50) metronidazole and those sugars, trichomonad density was significantly less than that in a medium with metronidazole only.

Implementation of a novel PCR based method for detecting malaria parasites from naturally infected mosquitoes in Papua New Guinea.

Background: Detection of Plasmodium species in mosquitoes is important for designing vector control studies. However, most of the PCR-based detection methods show some potential limitations. The objective of this study was to introduce an effective PCR-based method for detecting Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum from the field-caught mosquitoes of Papua New Guinea.

Molecular phylogeography of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in central Bangladesh.

Mosquitoes in the Culex pipiens complex are a major vector of numerous parasitic and arboviral diseases. Here we report the phylogeography of a prevalent Culex mosquito, Cx. quinquefasciatus, from three locations in Bangladesh: Dhaka, Savar and Mymensingh.

Genetic diversity in two sibling species of the Anopheles punctulatus group of mosquitoes on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

Background: The mosquito Anopheles irenicus, a member of the Anopheles punctulatus group, is geographically restricted to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It shows remarkable morphological similarities to one of its sibling species, An. farauti sensu stricto (An.

Leukocytapheresis for the treatment of active pouchitis: a pilot study.

Background: Pouchitis is a major long-term complication of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of leukocytapheresis for the treatment of active pouchitis.

Methods: Eight patients with active pouchitis received leukocytapheresis weekly for 5 weeks in an open-label treatment protocol together with baseline therapy.

[A case of pneumonitis caused by Seisin-renshi-in, herbal medicine].

We report a case of pneumonitis induced by Seisin-renshi-in. A 62-year-old man began to complain of cough, dyspnea and fever 45 days after starting to take Seisin-renshi-in for benign prostate hypertrophy. Chest radiograph showed diffuse ground-glass shadows in the bilateral middle and lower lung fields.

Identification of an eosinophil chemotactic factor from anopheline mosquitoes as a chitinase family protein.

Anopheline mosquitoes play an essential role in malaria transmission. The mosquito salivates copiously when probing for the location of a blood vessel. We found that the saliva of anopheline mosquitoes has chemotactic activity for naive eosinophils or neutrophils.

Intertidal snail-trematode communities on the southern Thailand before and after the South Asia tsunami.

Intertidal snail-trematode communities in southern Thailand were examined before and after the South Asia tsunami. Infection rates and species diversity of cercaria in the host snail Cerithidea in tidal zones did not change significantly from one year before to one month after the tsunami. However, the host snails C.

Malacological survey in Phang-Nga Province, southern Thailand, pre- and post-Indian Ocean tsunami.

Three malacological surveys were conducted in the Takua Pa District of Phang-Nga Province, southern Thailand, before and after the Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster. Twenty-nine species of fresh- and brackish-water snails were found, in which 10 species of freshwater snails were present, including live Pila polita; 8 species were of medical importance. Two brackish-water snails, Nerita articulata and Littorinopsis scabra, were absent after the tsunami disaster, while brackish-water Cerithidea cingulata and C.

Brackish-water mollusks of Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand.

Brackish-water mollusks inhabiting the mangrove areas along the Gulf of Thailand of Surat Thani Province were investigated for distribution, abundance and natural infections. Nine families and 32 species of brackish-water snails were recovered from 14 sampling stations. Species belonging to the genus Ceritidea of the family Potamididae were mainly examined and Cerithidea (Cerithideopsilla) Cingulata, C.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the distribution of flame cells in a trematode cercaria.

In order to reveal the vertical distribution of flame cells in a trematode cercaria, horizontal serial semi-thin sections were reconstructed by an image analyzer and a manual procedure. The ascending main excretory tubes extended forward, meandering up and down at the digestive system level from the excretory bladder. At the posterior end of the ventral sucker, they curved dorsally, passed through the dorsal side, returning to the mid level at the anterior end of the ventral sucker.

CD4+ T-lymphocyte-induced Epstein-Barr virus reactivation in a patient with severe hypersensitivity to mosquito bites and Epstein-Barr virus-infected NK cell lymphocytosis.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cell lymphocytosis associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection often shows severe hypersensitivity to mosquito bites (HMB) characterized by intense local skin reactions and systemic symptoms such as high fever, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. However, the induction mechanism of HMB is still unclear.

Observations: We investigated a typical case of HMB with EBV-positive NK cell lymphocytosis.

A mathematical model for the transmission of Plasmodium vivax malaria.

We have proposed a mathematical model for the transmission of Plasmodium vivax malaria quantitatively, which is adjusted to the infected region, Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands. The simulation of a transmission model will be instrumental in planning the malaria control strategy. A characteristic of the life cycle of P.

Can nonpenetrating vascular closure staples and hepatocyte growth factor prevent intimal hyperplasia following ePTFE grafting of the carotid artery in rabbits?

Purpose: To evaluate whether nonpenetrating vascular closure staples (VCS) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) can effectively prevent anastomotic intimal hyperplasia.

Methods: An expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft, 2 mm in diameter, was implanted in the common carotid artery of rabbits divided into three experimental groups. In the control group, distal anastomosis was performed with interrupted suturing; in the VCS group, clips were applied along the lateral suture line after the placement of stay sutures; and in the VCS + HGF group, the same anastomotic technique was performed as in the VCS group, followed by the administration of the HGF for 4 days.

Hepatocyte growth factor prevents intimal hyperplasia in rabbit carotid expanded polytetrafluoroethylene grafting.

Purpose: The major cause of vascular prosthesis failure is anastomotic intimal hyperplasia caused by the proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is an endothelium-specific growth factor that exerts a mitogenic action on endothelial cells. This study was designed to examine the effect of HGF on the suppression of intimal hyperplasia after small-caliber expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafting.